How Shall They Hear, Unless it’s Interpreted
By Manuel and Ruth Lopez
People with special needs the world over are, in general, an unreached people group and the same is true in Mexico. But Dios es Amor (God is Love) School, located in Puebla, Mexico, is focused on reaching special needs students. The school accepts any student that applies, regardless of age or disability. The purpose of the school is to share God’s love in meaningful ways. The school is provided free of charge, so it is never a financial burden for families. However, because it is a Christian School in a Catholic community, many parents are reluctant to let their children go. Nevertheless, God opens doors for this small school to reach students that would otherwise be overlooked.
Even though people with special needs are often overlooked by others, our God, who notices when a sparrow falls, cares deeply about each of us individually. It is because of God’s love for the individual that we are convinced that the work at Dios es Amor School is so important for each individual student.
The school serves students with a variety of special needs: deaf, blind, cerebral palsy, brain damage, speech challenges, Down Syndrome, autism, and others. They range in age from 7 to 45. Each student is taught at his own level and advances in academics as well as in Bible knowledge.
The deaf students range in age from 10 to 22 and arrive with no significant language skills so the first step is to teach them Mexican Sign Language (LSM). From the very first day at school they begin to learn to sign. It is exciting to see their communication skills blossom. They also learn basic math, geography, science, history, as well as how to read and write LSM gloss, Spanish, spelling and—most importantly—Bible.
The school is privileged to have a blind student. She is painstakingly working on learning to read Braille, but she is also learning many other things, including independence in eating, walking, and so forth. The students with cerebral palsy have serious challenges because of difficulties with speech, mobility, and other issues, but they are very quick learners and are thankful for the opportunity to come to the school. There are also students with various brain lesions or speech problems. Most have been rejected from mainstream schools, but they are welcomed here.
The school once received two 12-yearold hearing-impaired girls that had finished grade school and whose parents proudly displayed their official grade school certificates. However, neither one could even write her own name or count to three. One of the girls continues to come to our school and she not only knows how to write her name, she is learning to read and write LSM gloss and some Spanish. She can now count to 100 and is doing simple math (addition and subtraction). She is a bright student, in spite of her late start.
Dios es Amor School has a positive impact on the future of each student. Some of the students have earned government issued equivalent papers. The older students that are able, receive vocational training. The school has a complete carpentry shop and one of the boys is already doing freelance carpentry work for a contractor.
The school improves their outlook on life. Many of the students first come to the school when they are teenagers and most have spent their childhood feeling lonely and inferior. Some have never felt truly loved before. Many had no form of communication. They all enjoy coming to the school and having friends that understand what their life is like. They also thrive on the attention and love they get from the teachers. Most of the students dread weekends and vacations, as they would rather be at school than at home.
All of these academic and social benefits are a blessing. But, of course, the most important part of the school is the Bible training the students receive.
Each day students participate in prayer and a Bible class they can understand in either Spanish or LSM. Imagine the satisfaction felt when teachers hear a six-year-old asking God to make him a “good little chap,” or when a thirty-six-year-old who can not speak, signs her prayer, telling God that she is finally willing to forgive her family who have hurt her deeply by not treating her like part of the family. It is a privilege to watch the students draw closer to the Lord through the school and to get to witness the moment the students trust in Jesus as Savior. Most of the students have made that personal decision. One student’s entire family now knows the Lord and most of the immediate family members of the students have heard the Gospel at various school programs.
Dios es Amor School is impacting the lives of students by providing a free education and therefore improving their future. Even more importantly, the school is making an impact for eternity as the students put their trust in the Lord. Please pray for Dios es Amor School. The school currently uses one cramped school room. Pray the second floor of the church will be completed so the school can be moved upstairs. An elevator is also needed to accommodate wheelchairs. Pray for more volunteer teachers and monthly support for the day-to-day needs of the school.
